One of the best!

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2017)

Copyright 4 October 1962 by Darryl F. Zanuck Productions. Released through 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Warner Theater: 4 October 1962. U.S. release: 4 October 1962. U.K. release: 20 October 1963 (sic). 16,200 feet. 180 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: D-Day, 6 June 1944.
NOTES: Negative cost: $10.2 million, making it the most expensive black-and-white movie ever made by a commercial film studio. With an initial domestic rentals gross of $17.6 million, "The Longest Day" was second only to Fox's own "Cleopatra" at the U.S./Canadian box-office for 1963. Although it was not generally released in the U.K. until late October 1963, "The Longest Day" took more money at U.K. ticket- windows than any other movies in 1963 except "Cleopatra", "How the West Was Won" and "Lawrence of Arabia".
Oddly, though the movie was well-liked, it did absolutely nothing like this sort of business in Australia. In fact, receipts barely covered the cost of a massive advertising blitz.
Won two prestigious Hollywood awards: Best Black-and white Cinematography. (Through some indefensible miscarriage of justice, the award was given only to Bourgoin and Wottitz). And Best Special Effects, defeating "Mutiny on the Bounty". (Only Robert MacDonald and sound mixer Jacques Maumont shared the award. The official reason for this is that by Special Effects, the Academy means only Special Visual, namely Photographic Effects and Sound Effects. Dissolves, super-impositions, mattes, glass shots, irises, double exposures, process screen work and the like are all covered, but not necessarily miniatures, tank shots and definitely not explosions, stunts and choreographed action sequences. In actual practice, however, the lines of demarcation are somewhat blurred. Many Hollywood studios including M-G-M made a practice of nominating all the heads of their special effects departments, including miniatures. Other studios like Fox, RKO and Paramount included only camera personnel. So whether you received one of those prestigious Hollywood awards for your miniatures and painted backgrounds depended to some extent at which studio you worked at).
Also nominated for prestigious Hollywood awards for Best Picture (won by "Lawrence of Arabia"); Black-and-white Art Direction (won by "To Kill a Mockingbird"); Film Editing (won by "Lawrence of Arabia").
Best English-language Movie Release of 1962 — National Board of Review. 4th Best Motion Picture of 1962 — Film Daily poll of American film critics. Best Screenplay — The Film Daily. Best Direction — The Film Daily. Best Photography — The Film Daily. Tied with Lawrence of Arabia for Best Film of 1962 — The New York Daily Mirror. Number 2 on the N.Y. Daily News list and also on the Filmfacts composite list.
COMMENT: Although not listed at all in the official credits, Gerd Oswald directed some of the most effective episodes, including the searingly unforgettable sequence with Red Buttons. Zanuck himself directed the interior ship-board, plane-board and barracks-board scenes, while Elmo Williams handled most of the battle footage, and Wicki did a lot of memorable German work including of course that stunning D-Day bombardment scene with Hans Christian Blech. Though the story structure is necessarily episodic, the film retains our firm interest, partly because of the inventiveness of the writing, particularly its sharply realistic dialogue and colorful characterization; partly because of the movie's spectacular scope and breadth, plus all the stunningly-staged action; and partly because of the constant star-spotting. So far as actual acting goes, I thought the German players creamed the rest. Wayne and Mitchum are wholly their usual selves, but it's good to see Richard Todd in uniform again. Burton, however, is moodily dull, even with Donald Houston along to stooge him his cues.
OTHER VIEWS: The producer's actual battlefield experience is amply reflected in all phases of The Longest Day, for never before had Zanuck been so intimately involved in the making of any of his pictures. He worked with the writers, Ryan, James Jones and Romain Gary; spent long night hours planning camera angles and positions; talked "strategy" with the army and the navy; conferred with directors, sound men, special effects technicians, prop men and accountants. Even so, he was present, day after day, in good weather and foul. - Fox publicity.